The Photography of Modernist Cuisine

Nathan Myhrvold and the culinary wizards at The Cooking Lab redefined what a cookbook can be with Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, heralded by the James Beard Foundation as Cookbook of the Year and a once-in-a-lifetime publishing event for anyone who is passionate about food and cooking. Now the same team has produced The Photography of Modernist Cuisine, a feast for the eyes that serves up the beauty of food through innovative and striking photography. Simple ingredients, eclectic dishes, and the dynamic phenomena at work in the kitchen are transformed into vivid, arresting art in 300 giant images. With spreads nearly 60% larger than those in Modernist Cuisine and art-book printing on the highest quality paper, The Photography of Modernist Cuisine will be a prized possession and a treasured gift for food lovers, photo buffs, and anyone who appreciates the natural beauty of food and the joy of seeing it from intriguing new perspectives.

The hundreds of jaw-dropping photographs include some of the most amazing images from Modernist Cuisine and Modernist Cuisine at Home as well as more than 250 new and previously unpublished photos. Witness the intricate inner details of a blueberry, the time-frozen chaos inside a spice grinder, and the hypnotizing interplay of color and patterns in the juxtaposed flesh and skin of a salmon. See the magical view of a boiling pot of vegetables in canning jars sliced through the middle, and marvel at the levitating layers of Modernist grilled-cheese sandwiches. The images stand on their own, but readers can follow their curiosity to illuminating descriptions in the back of the book that delve into the stories, techniques, and science behind each photo.

The Photography of Modernist Cuisine also takes you into The Cooking Lab’s revolutionary kitchen and its photo studio on a visual tour that reveals the special equipment and techniques the Modernist Cuisine team uses to create its culinary inventions and spectacular images. Aspiring photographers will find useful tips on how to frame and shoot their own professional-quality photographs of food in both the restaurant and the home.

With its previous award-winning books, The Cooking Lab wowed critics and media by demonstrating new ways to cook and eat; now watch as the inventive minds of Modernist Cuisine transform the way that we look our meals. It’s food, as you’ve never seen it before.